Multi Asian Student Association

Amy Kha: President

YEAR: 4th

MAJOR: Psychology

HOBBIES: Listening to music, reading and watching Korean dramas <.< >.>

DESCRIBE YOUR POSITION ON STAFF: As President, I facilitate staff meetings as well as oversee staff duties, responsibilities, events and general body meetings. As such, I hope to be able to provide a welcoming and fun environment for everyone to feel right at home when they are with MASA. :)

WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MASA MOMENT? My most memorable MASA moment was the end of my first Fusion. When I was standing in the audience section watching all the teams standing on stage waiting to hear who won, a surge of emotion just slapped me in the face out of nowhere. It was like, “Oh my god. We did it! All those months of hard work really paid off!” I just felt so proud of what MASA was able to accomplish in three short months; putting on a show with that kind of caliber felt amazing. Performing on that same stage with kF was an added plus. :)

IF MASA WERE A PERSON, WHAT PERSONALITY WOULD IT HAVE, AND WHY? I would say that MASA would have a charming and friendly personality. Whenever you’re with MASA, you’ll never go hungry because MASA will always take you out to eat. Whenever you’re with MASA, you’ll never be bored because MASA will bring some games or movies over or dance and karaoke. Whenever you’re with MASA, you’ll never feel out of place because MASA will always go out of the way to make you feel like a part of the group. And as long as you’re with MASA, you’ll always have a friend who is willing to sit down and listen.

Annamarie Go: Publicity

YEAR: 4th year

MAJOR: Environmental Systems: Ecology, Behavior and Evolution (Management Science Minor)

HOBBIES: Singing, baking and making people smile!

DESCRIBE YOUR POSITION ON STAFF: As one of MASA’s publicity chairs, my job is to promote MASA and attract the attention of newcomers and returning members alike, with various forms of advertising, whether it be posters, flyers, or those cute little sheets you get from MASA on library walk and during GBMS!  So if you find yourself at a MASA event because of some colorful poster or one of our eye-catching flyers, then we’re doing our job right :D

WHAT DESSERT WOULD MASA BE, AND WHY? If I had to pick one dessert to describe MASA, I would choose a pizookie! It’s a simple, fun yet delicious dessert with so many possibilities. I mean, there are so many different ice cream and cookie flavor combinations you could make :D Likewise, MASA welcomes everyone and brings lots of different people together! Besides, who doesn’t like ice cream and cookies!?

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER GRADUATING FROM UCSD? Being an ESYS:EBE major and a crazy animal-lover, you’ll probably find me out bumming around in some forest, playing with and studying all the cute forest creatures! Haha, I’m kidding. That would be fun though… Once I graduate, I’ll probably dive straight into the job-hunt. Hopefully I’ll land a job working with some environment-related org or agency. And once I’ve saved up enough, travel! To exotic and tropical places all over the world. But that probably won’t be until far, farrr into the future.

April Lockhart: kunFusion Coordinator

YEAR: 3rd

MAJOR: Psychology

HOBBIES: dancing, reading, but mainly having amazing conversations with friends

DESCRIBE YOUR POSITION ON STAFF: As kunFUSION Coordinator I run kunFUSION which is MASA’s for fun, all inclusive (meaning no auditions), non-competitive hip-hop dance team. I prepare the team for different performances including Fusion. I also establish and maintain a friendly environment for dancers ranging from experienced and to those who have never danced before.

WHAT MAKES MASA SO SPECIAL FOR YOU? Well as a non-Asain, I felt MASA accepted me from the very beginning despite our different ethnicities. I was a lonely and very bored freshman and it is because of MASA that I found friends that I love like family and most of all; MASA gave me a place to belong in college.

HOW HAS MASA CHANGED YOU? MASA has inspired me to become a leader because I am passionate about this club and I want to give wonderful memories to members like the ones that I hold dear. It has made me more outgoing ,something I didn’t know was possible. My eyes have also been opened to new and different perspectives as well as cultures. MASA has given me the confidence to try new things, including dancing in front of an audience of more than a thousand people. Overall, this club has helped shape me into the person I am today. What is that exactly? I not entirely sure, but I like it, and I’m grateful.

Apurva Kulkarni: Publicity

YEAR: Second Year

MAJOR: Bioengineering:Biotech

HOBBIES: Kdrama/Kpop! Badminton! Adventuring at night :D

DESCRIBE YOUR POSITION ON STAFF: I’m one of the two Publicity Chairs and my job is to inform and encourage people to come out to MASA events, GBMs, and anything else MASA related :D

WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MASA MOMENT? My most memorable MASA moment would be going to the Relay for Life event in the spring last year. It was such an amazing bonding experience. I realized how much MASA is like a family and that we are always there for each other.

WHAT DESSERT WOULD MASA BE AND WHY? If MASA was a dessert, it would be one of those fried bananas at Thai restaurants because MASA people are just so warm and sweet and DELISHH yumm (LOL!)

Carol Tao: Fusion Coordinator

YEAR: 4th Year

MAJOR: Sociology - Law & Society

HOBBIES: playing games (board, card, etc.), procrastinating, trying new things

DESCRIBE YOUR POSITION ON STAFF: Fusion Coordinator plans and hosts Fusion Hip Hop Dance Competition!  Fusion is one of the most well-known and widely recognized hip hop dance comps on the West Coast, bringing in teams from up and down California to display their skills and talents in the splendid city of San Diego.  Hosted by the Multi-Asian Student Association, Fusion recognizes and applauds the diversity in the realm of dance, especially in the growth of participating Asians and Asian Americans (both in numbers and in presence).

WHAT DESSERT WOULD MASA BE, AND WHY? MASA would be frozen yogurt because there are so many different ingredients (aspects) about MASA that people can choose from when joining us and we welcome all flavors when you are tasting us (trying us out)!  Among the many ingredients we supply, some top choices that people find and enjoy about MASA include FUN, family and food.

WHAT IS ONE MASA EVENT YOU HAVEN’T DONE YET, BUT REALLY WANT TO GO TO? There are so many fun and different events that MASA holds every year and it’s nearly impossible to attend all of them (although many have tried).  Even though I went on Mystery Bus my first two years, I couldn’t buy a ticket last year because we sold out in 2 or 3 days!  I was pretty bummed because Mystery Bus is different and really fun every year, plus no one is ever allowed to reveal what goes on during Mystery Bus so I have no idea what people did last year!  So curious!! But I’m definitely not missing Mystery Bus this year since I am one of the planners! :D

Christine Chan: Finance

YEAR: 3rd year

MAJOR: Management Science (Minor: Business, Studio Arts)

HOBBIES: Facebook stalking…. JK! I don’t do that haha I like to watch Korean & Japanese dramas, read novels & mangas, and play with my ukulele & other musical instruments, play card games, eat desserts, hike, jog along the beach, or other outdoor activities. Ya… I like a lot of things… haha

DESCRIBE YOUR POSITION ON STAFF: I am the one and only finance chair on staff :] Well, I mean the word “finance” pretty much explain my position, right? Haha Basically I take care of everything that relates to money in MASA and FUSION, including but not limited to: fundraisers, t-shirt sales, ticket sales, try my best to lower the cost of each MASA events, blah and blah and blah. But the most important thing is to make sure MASA won’t collapse because of monetary problems or bankrupt.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MASA MOMENT? Oh wow, this is a really hard question since there were so many memorable moments! Haha Well, I will say planning and attending Mystery Bus last year was my most memorable MASA moment :] Mystery Bus is one of the biggest MASA events in Fall Quarter. But since it’s Mystery Bus… everything is a mystery… and I need to keep everything as a secret! If you are curious about what Mystery Bus is really about, then be sure to go this year! :DDD Locations change every year, so don’t worry!

HOW HAS MASA CHANGED YOU? Believe it or not, I used to be really shy haha (actually I still am at times :] ). MASA allowed me to meet a lot of interesting and amazing people, and made my experience in UCSD a lot more memorable and enjoyable. MASA also allowed me to grow stronger as a person, leader, and friend in many ways. 

Emily Ananthaset: Administration

YEAR: Junior

MAJOR: Biochemistry and Cell Biology

HOBBIES Singing in the showers, sound proof rooms, etc. Sleeping, Eating then exercising

DESCRIBE YOUR POSITION ON STAFF: Admin. I reserve rooms, input events onto the school’s system. And here for you!!!

WHAT MOVIE WOULD MASA BE, AND WHY? I don’t think they make this type of movie, but, a Family- comedy- indie- musical genre type movie.

WHAT IS ONE MASA EVENT YOU HAVEN’T DONE YET, BUT REALLY WANT TO GO TO? I haven’t gone to Iron Chef yet, so I really want to go to support ma master chef rep!

Frank Truong: Community Service

YEAR: 3rd year

MAJOR: Biochemistry/Chemistry Minor: possibly Psychology

HOBBIES: watching/playing basketball. Watching sports in general. LA Lakers and Chicago Bears are the two teams that I am a fan of and enjoying watching.

WHAT IS YOUR POSITION WITHIN STAFF? I hold the community service chair position and my job is to find community service events where MASA members can participate in. In addition to events, I facilitate in MASA’s participation in donation drives as well.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER GRADUATING FROM UCSD? My plan after graduating from UCSD is to attend a medical school in hopes of becoming a physician with practices in family medicine and sports medicine.

WHAT DESSERT WOULD MASA BE AND WHY? MASA would a fruit tart because there are so many various kind of fruits that all fits together to form an amazing dessert. In MASA there are so many various people with different personalities that all fits together to make what MASA is, a fun amazing club.

Joel Chou: Membership

Jonathan Kim: Media

YEAR: 2014

MAJOR: Psychology (for now…stay tuned)

HOBBIES: Sleeping, random dancing, bizarre sports…more sleeping

DESCRIBE YOUR POSITION ON STAFF: As one of the two Media Chairs, my job is to work with my partner on any MASA media work. We edit/film videos, sometimes photos, update the website and Facebook, and make sure the presentations during GBMs run smoothly. Basically, if it involves media, we’ll work on it at some point!

WHAT DESSERT WOULD MASA BE, AND WHY? MASA would be what I call a “Mayhem Cake”, a cake with basically whatever you can think of thrown inside and on the outside: nuts, berries, cream, fruit, icing, and more. MASA is a huge mix of people and personalities, and just like the Mayhem Cake, has every kind of flavor, from savory to sweet. Each batch of cake is different, and every year, the “taste” of MASA is unique.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER GRADUATING FROM UCSD? To be perfectly honest, my future plans are still pretty vague. I would like to settle into a job in advertisement, either as a photographer or video editor. Honestly, any job that does not involve me sitting behind a desk sounds good to me. Maybe I’ll just go travel the world for a while, see where my feet take me. And of course, I’ll totally come back to visit MASA :D